The present invention concerns a device for inserting substantially rectangular laundry articles into a feeder.
Feeders are primarily used in big laundries in which they are used for smoothing and spreading large laundry articles, such as sheets, table-cloths, slips for eiderdowns, etc. for subsequent insertion of the laundry article into e.g. an ironing roller, it being important that these feeding devices spread and smooth the laundry articles effectively so that undesired creases will not occur after the ironing roller. The feeders frequently comprise a device for inserting laundry articles into the feeder of the type which is mentioned above. Most frequently, the laundry articles are inserted into the apparatus in that the laundry article is taken from a pile of laundry articles in a wrinkled state and optionally wet or damp. Then the laundry article is inserted into the machine by means of the insertion device mentioned above. Examples of prior art of this type are disclosed in e.g. EP Patent Application 424290 and EP Patent Application 419382 as well as in the applicant's Danish Patent Application 162/94. Although these known feeders provide the possibility of aligning laundry articles which are inserted askew into the feeder, this function may be made impossible, or at any rate difficult, if the laundry articles are positioned very askew in the feeder. This problem is remedied in practice in that the operator manually guides the laundry article during the insertion of it into the feeder so as to obviate the situation in which the laundry article is very askew. However, this takes up the operator's time, so that the operator cannot take a new laundry article from the above-mentioned pile and prepare it for insertion into the feeder until the first laundry article has been inserted completely into the feeder.
To automate this function, a device for inserting substantially rectangular laundry articles into a feeder is known, said device comprising a conveyor which is adapted first to grip a stretched portion of a front edge on the laundry article and then to convey the laundry article into the feeder with the front edge foremost in the direction of feed, two spreader roller members and means being provided in front of the conveyor, seen in the direction of feed, to cause the laundry article to frictionally contact each of the spreader roller members in such a manner that the laundry article is guided to the right or to the left with respect to the direction of feed by control means adapted for the purpose. A serious drawback of this known device is that the spreader roller members are caused to frictionally contact the laundry article by holding means that are provided opposite the spreader roller members so that the laundry article may be pressed against the spreader roller members by means of the holding means.
An object of the present invention is to provide a device for inserting substantially rectangular laundry articles into a feeder, wherein such holding means are rendered superfluous, thereby achieving a more inexpensive and simple structure and facilitating the manual insertion of the laundry articles into the insertion device.